Suspension device for trolley-wires.



G. H. BOLUS.

susmzwsww DEVICE FOR TROLLEY WIRES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20, I914.

Patented May 4, 1915.

r I l IIIIIII 1 F 1. Il a l I r! Iv or MANSFIELD, onto, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

SUSPENSION DEVICE For. 'rRoLLEY-wiREs.

messes;

- Spcciflcatibn of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4,1915.

Application filed February 20, 1914;. Serial No. 819.894.

To an whom it may concern: 7 Be it. known that I, GLENNv H. Bonus, acitizen ofthe United States, and resident of Mansfield, in the ,countyofRichland and Stateof Ohio,-...have. invented .certainnew and useful xlmprovements in Suspension Devices. for Trolley-Wireaof which the following .isa specification. Q .My' invention .relates .to improvements in suspension devicefor trolley .wires, and one of the objects of my invention isto provide adevice of. this character which. will :be simple, durable andreliable in construction and effective and. eflicientin operation;

hereinafter. .4 i

. Referringto the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 1s a view in elevation of a dev ce embodying my invention, it beingshown as being attached to an insulated hanger. menuher. or support; Fig. 2 is a plan view .of said device, the insulated hanger, member being removed, and Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view onthe line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

r In the ordinary overhead construction for electric railways, as. is well known, the trolley wires are rigidly fastened to cars which are rigidly attached to insulated hanger. members, and these insulated hanger membersare suspended from a suitable support. These supports are generally cross suspension wires but itoften happens that the trolley. wires pass under bridges: subways and the like and the .hangersare there? tore attached rigidly thereto. Wherever the hangers must be attached to these bridges or othersupports there is no possibility of the supports yielding as the. trolley pole passes along the wireand the consequence is that so-called hard spots are created which, as iawell known, increase the-liability of crystallization. of thetrolley. wire and. consequent. breakage. .Thesehard .spots are not so likely to occur where the trolley wire is suspended from cross suspension wires for they suspension wires themselves ,will

yield as-a-trolley pole exerts upward pressure on the trolley wire) -My invention is intended to "overcome these so-called hard spots in they tem,'andwhilethe device may be used as a flexible suspension member or hanger in general, I have designed it more particularly for use in places where the trolley wire must be suspended from rigid Otheruobjects of my invention will appear i iipports, such as bridges, subways and the e.'. ..-.The hanger .memberAshown in the drawings is therefore-shown as being of the type which is ad aptedto be attached to bridges, subways or. the like, or to be used in carbarns, but of course. it will be understood that any other suitable hanger many be used, depending upon the particular conditions. This hanger, as will beseen, has a depressed center portion. 1 having an insulator cap 2 from which dependsa threaded stud 3 to which the trolley. car is attached. The two end portions of the hanger member rise above the insulator cap2 and are pro- :vided with. bolt-holes so that they may be readily attached to the support. In the structure show-n1 provide preferably two short ear members 5 which are adapted to be fastened to thetrolley wire 6 atsome distance apart. The trolley wire shown is of the grooved type, .and hence. the ear members 5 are constructed to suit this type of trolley .wire. The ear members 5 have longitudinal grooves .7 Vin their under side in which the trolley wire fits. The lips or walls 8 ofxtheseiear members are made bendableso that they may be bent into. the grooves zain thetrolleywire and thereby properly hold the trolley wire.

or any suitable metal and are provided with a central up-standing web or flange 10.

end bosses or members 11,.and. .are fastened These ear members are preferably made of extrudedthereinbymeans of the. bolts or. screws 12,

thus making it possible to remove. or replace theextruded metal ears 5. whenever necessary. These end bosses or members 11 are supported at the ends by a member 13which is preferably in theform of. aflat strap of springsteel. The. tops or upper-portions of the end bosses'll are preferably made in the form.- of circular disks 142 and. flat so. as to provide. substantial .seatsfor the ends of the supporting strap 13. The strap .13 may. be Y fastened to the bosses. 11 in. any suitable. manner, but I prefer to form central upstanding projections 15 which pass through coresponding holes in the end of the strap and riveted or swagedover on top of the straps in the form of heads 1.6;. v

The strap 13 may be attached to the hanger member A in any suitable manner, but I prefer to provide a small-boss or socket member 17 positioned centrally intermediate the ends of the strap and having a threaded socket for the reception of the threaded stud or bolt 3 on the hanger member. The suspension boss 17 has a horizontal slot 18in its lower end through which the strap "13 is-pas sed before its ends are riveted to the end bosses 11.. A bolt or screw 19 is passed up through the strap from the lower end'o'f the suspension boss 17 which prevents any relative movement of'the suspension boss and strap. Withmy improved construction the trolley wire is suspended from twoseparated points instead of'o'ne, as usual, and the spring strap 13 oifers' a yielding resistance to the upper pressure exerted upon the trolley wire by the trolley pole, thus rendering thetrolley @Wire flexible'and not likely to become crystallized. It will be-noted that the strap 13 is sufliciently rigid longitudinally to prevent any longitudinal movement of the device with respect to the trolley wire and hanger, and also to hold the structure against lateral twisting or tipping with respect to the hanger, especially when the device is used on curves. Furthermore, while the strap 13v has flexibility sufiicient to provide a flexible suspension for the trolley wire, Iprefer that it be stiff enough to prevent it from sagging or causing the portion of the trolley wire intermediate the ears to buckle.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art, after having obtained an understanding of my invention from the disclosures herein "made, that my invention may be readily combination of a supporting member, and a flexible suspension strap rigidly attached to the member and to the trolley wire at separated points.

"3. Ina device ofthe class described, the combination of a pair of separated members adapted to be fixed to the trolley wire, a

' flexible member rigidly attached at its ends to said separated members, and suspension means rigidlyattached to said flexible member intermediate the ends,

I 4.-In" a device of the class described, thecombination of a resilient suspension member, means on' said suspension member at separated points forrigid attachment to the trolley wire, and an intermediate supporting means rigidly attached to said resilient member.

; 5. In a device of the class described, the

combination of a plurality of ear members rigidly attachable to the trolley wire to be suspended, a resilient member connecting said ear members and rigidly secured to them, and an intermediate supporting member rigidly connected to the resilient member.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a pair of ear members rigidly attachable at separated points to thetrolley wire to be suspended, a resilient strap member rigidly connected to and supporting said ear members, and an intermediatesuspension member rigidly attached to said resilient strap.

7. The combination of a spring strap member, a suspension member rigidly at tached thereto intermediate'the ends thereof,bosses secured at the ends of said spring strap member, and ear-members removably and rigidly attached to said end bosses and adapted for rigid attachment to the trolley WlIG- to be suspended.

8. llhe combination of a hanger member adapted for attachment to a suitable support, a spring strap centrally and rigidly supported by said hanger member and disposed substantially parallel to the trolley Wire, bosses secured to the ends of said strap, and ear members removably but rigidly attached to said end bosses and adapted for rigid attachment at separated points to the trolleywire to be suspended.

9.'The combination of a hanger member adapted for rigid attachment'to a suitable support, a spring strap centrally and rigidly supported by said hanger member and disposed substantially parallel to the trolley wire, bosses secured to the ends of said strap, and extruded ear members removably but rigidly attached to'said end bosses, and adapted for rigid attachment at separated points tothe trolley wire to be suspended.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 13 day of FebruaryA. B 1914. w

v GLENN HENRY BQLUS.

Witnesses: Jenn L. YOUNG,

W. C. STARKEY.. 

